There is a lot of argument about the issue of introducing 20 miles-per-hour speed limits on certain roads, as proposed by various campaign groups such as 20’s plenty for us. I thought I would look at this in relation to one road along my commute in Salford, where I often have problems with drivers passing too fast and too close. This is Bolton Road, which is shown on the Google map below:
As you can see, this road, which currently has a 30mph speed limit, runs parallel to a bypass, which has a 50mph speed limit. The only reason for motor vehicles to use it should be to gain access to the shops, houses and school that are located along there and off side roads.
The length marked on the Google map is 0.8 miles, and it takes me less than 3 minutes to travel that length on my bicycle; an average speed of 16 mph. At 20 mph, it would take 2.4 minutes, and at 30 mph it would take 1.6 minutes, so travelling the full length at 20 mph takes just 48 seconds longer than it would at 30 mph. For most traffic, the difference is even less as they would either be stopping to visit the shops, or turning onto a side road part way along the route.
Yet a drop in speed from 30 mph to 20 mph would have a dramatic effect on the nature of that road, and the safety of the people using it, including pedestrians going to the shops, cyclists like myself, and children going to school. It seems to me that this is what the Americans would call a “no-brainer”!
Of course, speed limits do need to be coupled with enforcement so that people like the driver of car DX52BPE will be dealt with:
